On an island off the coast of Maine, Lucien Cabot monitors the dark clouds rolling across a bleak sky. Patience and planning have been Lucien’s two closest friends for years, and now Mother Nature has aligned to create the perfect storm he needs to exact his revenge.

Television producer Sophie Emerson can’t believe her luck when the mysterious owner of Raven Island offers her a story about the island and castle. She really can’t believe it. Still, if real, this offer could be the break her career needs. Although suspicious, Sophie agrees to meet Lucien at his home.

Gotcha. Lucien can taste victory -- if he can resist the keen intelligence, beauty, and light in Sophie. Falling for his guest is the last thing Lucien can afford to do.

Trapped on Raven Island, Sophie is shocked by her powerful desire to know more about Ravenstoke’s clever, darkly attractive master. In secret, Sophie also searches for the truth behind her invitation to Lucien’s island.

A perfect storm of fierce attraction and unbending revenge soon rages behind the walls of Ravenstoke. In the aftermath, once the debris has cleared, will Sophie’s love for Lucien be enough to end his dark revenge and bring him back into the light?

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.

And what a game Lucien plays! He devotes his life to exacting revenge on those who wronged him. Typical right? But while he has this whole thing set up, like a chess game, he wasn’t expecting his partner to be quite the adversary she turns out to be. But Lucien is blinded by his revenge, unable to see what is actually right in front of him. Sophie.

Sophie is spunky, smart and turns out to be very sexy. Drawn into the game Lucien has set up starting with letting her into his castle on an island ( awesome right? I know! ) to let her work on a news story about the history of the castle. She is instantly drawn to the enigmatic man who she knows is toying with her yet can’t seem to make herself pull away from him. But under it all, she sees his pain and the grief he carries for his loss.

Lucien and Sophie were quite a pairing. They fed off each other and for every push and pull the other returned the favor. Whenever one thought they had the upper hand in their game, the other threw them off balance. It was an elegant dance of deception and sexuality. In one very poignant scene, which I won’t give away, Lucien is in a very dark place and no one but Sophie could have brought him the light he needed.

So much of this story is woven with Lucien’s plan that it's hard not to give out spoilers. I was more than one hundred pages in before I realized what exactly was going on and the exact person around whom the revenge revolved. It kept me very intrigued and I was completely absorbed in book. Add in the additional back story of the man who built the castle on the island, and his family, I finished this in just a couple hours. By the way, did you happen to notice the other elements of this story above? Yeah, that was not at all what I was expecting.

My only complaint was a few times I scratched my head during some of the internal monologue. Sophie was someone who didn’t swear, yet during a sex scene she used very adult slang words. I felt that if she truly didn’t swear those words shouldn’t have been in her vocabulary. I think other terms could have easily been used to describe the scene. Leave the vulgarity to Lucien, who was quite fond of it.

All in all, a great story very captivating and heart wrenching. Ms Dane wrote a fascinating tale of one broken soul and the last person on earth he expected to fix it. So if you enjoy stories like that, this is for you.

Subscribe To

" RBN

~ Stockholm Surrender

~ Trouble In Thigh High Boots

# Blood of Luna

~ Skye High

~ Climbing Her Tower

# Ava's Pleasure

* Shadow of the Wolf

^ Seduction of My Proper Wife

My Immortal

Believe

Blue Light Special

Shut Up and Kiss Me

~ Teacher Her Manners (Sizzler)

^ Blood of Luna

Love Beyond Sight

The Crawford Boys Series

Turkish Delights

Shut Up & Kiss Me

Fire Woman

RATING EXPLANATION:

1 Star -- At this time, we at Whipped Cream do not post these reviews. If the book was boring, badly edited, poorly written, had little or no plot, stilted dialogue, and/or unsympathetic characters, we will decline the review.

2 Stars -- Not wonderful, but tolerable. There may be some minor editing glitches but not enough to stop you reading. Not a wall-banger, but nothing you'd re-read. This is a book you would borrow from the library - not buy- and never check out again.

3 Stars -- Good. Mostly enjoyable. You made it through and didn't consider it a waste of time or money. The story was strong enough or the conflict tight enough, so even when the book faltered, it was able to draw you back in and keep you. There's a chance you'll recommend it to a friend, but it wouldn't go on your keeper shelf.

4 Stars-- Very Good. You're glad you were the one who got to review this book. You would probably buy it and would definitely recommend it to your friends. You liked the characters and the plot. The writing style was good and the editing clean.

5 Stars -- Great! You would definitely buy this book. You would definitely recommend it to your friends. You really loved the characters and the plot and would consider looking for this authors back list or making her an autobuy. The writing and editing were superb.

WC Best Book - For a book or story that is truly exceptional. You think about it when you're not reading it. You wonder what happens to the characters when you finish. You would absolutely buy everything else this author had to offer. The highest praise - and reserved for only a few.

FTC and Affiliate Disclosure

In compliance with recently updated FTC Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials, etc., please be advised that the majority of the books The Long and the Short of It reviews are provided free of charge by various publishers and authors, though we also review many books from the library or self-purchase.

Additionally, please note that we participate in an affiliate program with Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble earn a small commission on most purchases that are bought through our links.